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Saint James Episcopal Church - Weekly Epistle
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Approaching the 10th Sunday after Pentecost
| August 14th, 2014 |
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 | | Encountering somewhat who is the "other." |
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Jesus The Christ
Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon." But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us." (Matthew 15: 21:23)
It's alarming to observe how racial, cultural, religious, political, and social differences are literally tearing human beings apart from one another. It's as close to us as observing how such "otherness" actually, harms, even destroys our shared lives in Westwood, Ferguson, MO, Gaza City, Palestine, Donetsk, Ukraine, Mount Sinjar, Iraq, and thousands of other neighborhoods and nations on our planet. I don't know why it is but we human beings seemingly need to identify an "other" in our lives. We seek out someone else to blame, to hurt, to kill. We don't like to admit to this morbid truth about ourselves because it damages our own sense of personal goodness; yet, look inside and outside and observe how nationalistic, racial, and other forms of human prejudice and pride are resulting in death and destruction today. Take just a moment to witness it ....
Then, ponder - what does it mean if Jesus himself had to confront similar sorts of discrimination in his own personal life and personality. That's a HUGE leap for many Christians who view Jesus as being perfectly sinless. Such believers do not read Matthew's text the same way that I do. Jesus, in this week's Gospel, comes off as a real jerk. He essentially declares that the Canaanite woman is less than human and that her daughter is undeserving of his healing. Now then, we can parse this out by blaming Matthew (and Mark) for such prejudicial, spiteful language. We might instead choose to ask ourselves a deeper question that David Lose asks: Can Jesus Learn? Is it just possible that someone such as the outsider, outcast women from Canaan teaches the Living, Breathing, Son of God something about himself? Lose goes on to write: "If you go this direction, then Jesus can, in fact, learn. And he does. He learns that God's kingdom and his mission to enact that kingdom is bigger than he had initially imagined and that it is more encompassing that he'd at first dreamed." (D. Lose, Aug. 11, 2014, para. 7)
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Read Ezra Kline's balanced interpretation for the reasons for the Israel-Palestine conflict |
Pastor Lose goes on to suggest that believing that Jesus learned something and rendered healing to the oppressed woman who taught him a purposeful lesson means that we need to take a very hard look at how we are similarly capable about learning something grungy about ourselves. There are lots and lots of places in our shared lives as well as for our parish when and where opportunities are present for recognizing how "otherness" prevents us from more fully living into God's vision for human prosperity and peace.
As a worshiping community, such learning beckons us to recognize when we dismiss someone because they aren't the same as us. As a Christian community more fully stretching itself outside of our doors; we must be open to receiving often difficult and corrective feedback from our neighbors. As United States citizens, we must continue to be wide, wide open to realizing how our municipal, national, and global leaders' decisions and actions negatively influence our neighbors, especially those persons who are not "like us." As individuals, we need to remain very open to the God-presented opportunities to address our personal prejudices and discriminatory behaviors. Now, more than ever, we are connected to one another. Like it or not, we aren't as "pure" we deem ourselves to be. There is much for us to learn and respond to as violence occurs around us in Westwood, young black men die on the streets of our cities, and women and children tragically suffer from civil wars in the Middle East and Asia.
Blessings Along The Way, Jim+
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Music and More
We've recently celebrated the presence of more children in our midst. Here are just a few photographic moments worth celebrating!
Recent photographic memories of what's been happening here at St. James! |
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 | | Stuffing Backpacks |
Westwood Elementary School - Backpack Drive
Nancy Jacobs reports that we had 9 people from St James who helped with packing backpacks last Sunday. They filled the backpacks with school supplies for Westwood Elementary School students. John Eby, Carol Siniawski and her 2 boys, Julie and John Murray, Johnathen Sweeney and Eugene and Nancy Jacob participated along with other volunteers. They packed 500 back packs packed in about an hour and a half or less. It was quite an assembly line and fun! Nancy thought everyone at St. James would like to know that your contributions resulted in collecting 454 pencils, 110 erasers, 104 pocket folders as well as more than $200 in donations. The great overall news is that the church community contributed more than the requested amounts of all of the supplies we said we would deliver. Thanks so much to everyone who participated. If you're interested, the distribution of these supplies happens this Sunday at 2pm at Westwood Elementary School. | |
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Remembrances - Robin Williams
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What's your favorite Robin WIlliams moment?
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I've read many, many tributes commemorating Robin Williams' like and work since he tragically ended his own life earlier this week. Personally, I loved him most in Dead Poets Society. Many Episcopalians gleefully recall Williams' Top 10 Reasons to be an Episcopalian List. There are so many possibilities to choose from and its tragic that such a talented, complex, and forever inspiring human being died much too soon. I've included the Aladdin video here, not to make too light of Williams work but to offer everyone a chance to listen to Williams' "Genius Genie" introduction. Too funny and yet also quite informative. What are the three things the Genie can't do? What would the Genie wish for if he were the Master? Enjoy the clip and consider what lessons we might learn from such "boundaries". May Robin's soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, rest in peace. May those persons suffering from depression find peace and comfort. May this church be a community of offering Christ-like learned Grace, where we don't check our brains at the door.
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